OK, need some help with this. I've been thinking a lot about trying to have a lucid dream, doing constant RC during the day (combination of looking at my watch and trying to push my finger through the palm of my other hand). So last night I dreamed I was socializing with my next door neighbors, the ones I NEVER talk to....should have been a cue....I should have realized in the dream that I never talk to these neighbors....something isn't right here. Cue #1...missed. Then, at some point in the dream I start telling them about lucid dreaming and reality checks! ....even demonstrating the finger through the palm and looking at my watch twice......AND....nothing. Cue #2.....missed. I have to say though that my finger did not go through and my watch said the same time on the second look....so neither RC was a complete give away.

How is it that these things that should have obviously made me question whether I was dreaming had almost no effect? What do I have to do?

Hi, the fact that you are performing RC in your dream is a great start and shows that your waking day is infiltrating your dreams. I think that if the RC in your dream had of worked (if your finger went through your hand) then i believe you would have become lucid for sure

Try what I think is the holy grail of RC - The nose pinch, Simply close your mouth pinch your nose and try to breath in. This is a very reliable RC, do this throughout the day and it maybe will work in your dream. Although i practice WILDS, i always perform this RC once I think i have transitioned

Then, at some point in the dream I start telling them about lucid dreaming and reality checks! ....even demonstrating the finger through the palm and looking at my watch twice......AND....nothing. Cue #2.....missed. I have to say though that my finger did not go through and my watch said the same time on the second look....so neither RC was a complete give away.

You did not do the reality checks in your dreams with the right mind set and that is why they failed. This could indicate that when you are doing them in real life, you also may be checking but not fully believing while you check that you could be in a LD.

So this basically tells you you need to really believe you could be in a dream when you do those reality checks (or when the day comes and you are lucid and do them, they will probably end up failing and end up convincing you, you are not in a dream). No matter how real it feels, you need to be really open to "this may be a dream". Don't trust that you are physical.

I really suggest seeing you have issues with those checks to start doing different ones (and make sure you are really open to the fact you could be dreaming when you do them).